Amazon Eyes Bessemer for a Fulfillment Center

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2017/10/Amazon_Logo.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:2310;s:6:"height";i:1300;s:4:"file";s:23:"2017/10/Amazon_Logo.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:14:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:23:"Amazon_Logo-336x189.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:189;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:23:"Amazon_Logo-771x434.jpg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:434;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:23:"Amazon_Logo-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:23:"Amazon_Logo-768x432.jpg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:432;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"1536x1536";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"Amazon_Logo-1536x864.jpg";s:5:"width";i:1536;s:6:"height";i:864;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"2048x2048";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:25:"Amazon_Logo-2048x1153.jpg";s:5:"width";i:2048;s:6:"height";i:1153;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:21:"Amazon_Logo-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:23:"Amazon_Logo-600x338.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:23:"Amazon_Logo-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:23:"Amazon_Logo-553x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:553;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:23:"Amazon_Logo-470x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:23:"Amazon_Logo-600x400.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:23:"Amazon_Logo-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:23:"Amazon_Logo-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:10:"1507895284";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Andrew Yeager
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => WBHM
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

)
1659691809 
1526565757

Amazon could be coming to Bessemer. This isn’t the coveted second headquarters that more than 200 cities competed to lure. It’s a fulfillment center, and if it happens, it would mean quite a few jobs, according to The Birmingham Business Journal, which broke the story.

“At this point we know this site’s being strongly considered for it,” says Birmingham Business Journal editor Ty West. “We know it’s not a done deal.”

West says the site under consideration is property owned by U.S. Steel along I-20/59 near Bessemer City High School and Alabama Splash Adventure. The fulfillment center would employ 1,500 people but that number would likely grow based on trends at similar facilities.

Amazon has expanded its network of fulfillment centers, where packages are sorted and distributed. Last year, the BBJ found Birmingham was the largest market in the U.S. without an existing center or one in the works. The potential Bessemer center would include opportunities for job training for high school students. Amazon would also run buses through Bessemer neighborhoods to pick up employees without reliable transportation.

“It would give a lot of people in Bessemer who have no access to an automobile an opportunity to work at a leading global company,” says West.

West says incentive packages from the state, Jefferson County and Bessemer are still being developed, but he expects them to come before public boards in the coming weeks. He says public documents indicate construction could start as early as this summer with a goal of opening the fulfillment center by the 2019 holiday season.

 

Tennessee readies for execution of man with working implanted defibrillator

Gov. Bill Lee declined to grant a reprieve Monday amid uncertainty about whether the implantable defibrillator will shock Byron Black's heart when the lethal drug takes effect.

Brazil’s Supreme Court orders house arrest for former President Bolsonar

The trial of the far-right leader is receiving renewed attention after U.S. President Donald Trump directly tied a 50% tariff on imported Brazilian goods to his ally's judicial situation.

State Department may require visa applicants to post bond of up to $15,000 for entry

The State Department said it would start a pilot program that will require cash deposits to tourist and business visas for people from countries with high overstay rates.

Texas Democrats block GOP redistricting plan by fleeing the state

The Texas House failed to reach the quorum needed to vote on a new congressional map that could have given Republicans five new seats, after House Democrats forced a legislative standstill.

Wildfire smoke is like smoking ‘half a pack a day.’ Here’s how to protect yourself

As Canadian wildfires spread smoke across the U.S. the air pollution is dangerous to health. But there are ways to protect yourself. Here's what to know.

Texas Democrats walked out to block the GOP. How well has the tactic worked before?

Dozens of Texas Democrats left the state to protest a redistricting map, facing potentially steep consequences. Lawmaker walkouts have had mixed success in the past — so what is there to gain?

More Economy Coverage